While sleepovers are fun at any age, “tween” children (ages 10-12) are looking to play different games than they would at age 8 or 9. However, parents may not want tweens to play games that 16-year-olds would play either, such as spin the bottle. There are many slumber party games that will entertain tweens, allowing them to have safe fun at sleepovers.

Hide ‘n’ Seek in the Dark

Hide ‘n’ seek is a game many have played and 11-year-olds probably won’t find exciting. However, playing it in the dark makes it more interesting and adds an element of mystery that tweens will enjoy. Everyone should have a flashlight to move around from place to place, but hiders will turn theirs off once the countdown ends, while the seeker will use his flashlight to help guide him to each person.

Truth or Dare

While limits should be set on the types of dares 11-year-olds can do, a game of truth or dare is a popular game for kids of all ages. Children will ask questions like “Who do you like?” or dare their friends to do things like jump in the pool with their clothes on. This game might be better played with adult supervision.

Who Am I?

In this classic game, children will write a name of a famous person on a sticky note and stick the note to another child’s forehead facing out. The group of 11-year-olds then interact with one another as if each is actually the person whose name is written on the sticky notes. This continues until each child has figured out what name is written on his sticky note.

No-Mirror Makeover

Eleven-year-old girls are just getting to the age of wearing makeup, so a makeover game is perfect for a sleepover party. However, a no-mirror makeover makes the game more interesting and fun. Each person will need to apply their own makeup without a mirror, which will allow for some creative and funny results. Then everyone can vote on who did the best job and who did the silliest job. Boys can play this game using Halloween make-up to try to make themselves look like Frankenstein or other monsters.

Piggly-Wiggly

Although many 11-year-olds will remember playing this game at age 5, the game is still fun at age 11, especially after a mom has declared it bed time and the group of tweens is still awake. Everyone can quietly be hidden in their sleeping bags in the dark and one child can sit on different sleeping bags and say “piggly wiggly.” The person inside the bag says “oink” and the person outside has to guess who’s inside the bag. If they guess wrong, they move onto another bag. If they guess right, the person inside that bag is “it” and must be on the outside now.

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About the Author

Laila Alvarez has been writing professionally since 2002. She has written for Houston Community Newspapers and "L.A. Zoo View," "North O.C. Magazine," "Perpetual Phlegm" and other magazines, newspapers and websites. Alvarez has a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from California State University-Fullerton.